I love my A6 a lot but just last night out of nowhere--actual yin the Target parking lot and 9:30 at night--my car wouldn't start and I couldn't jump it either. Towed to dealership where I was told it was a bad battery--only 50,000 miles on the car-- and owuld have to rpelace for $250!!

Anyone else think this is slightly high for a battery?

 

Stubird - In your other post you said it was in the 100s in Memphis. Heat is the kiss of death for older batteries - it puts more of a strain on them than cold-cranking in the winter. You also don't say how old the battery is, but 4-5 years is a reasonable life.

That sounds like a very expensive price. You should be able to get a battery for an Audi from Autozone or equivalent for about $160 - that's what I was quoted last year when I thought it might be my battery but it turned out to be my alternator. The only advantage of the dealer is if they fu%k up the radio(or something else)and it locks, you can hold them responsible for unlocking it. Not sure if that is a real issue, but one of the smart technical guys can respond.

Good thread to compare battery life history. I've got the original battery in a 2003 with 101k miles. Seems to be doing fine.

 

$250 for a battery? That is insane....especially after you realize there are only a handful of companies that actually make batteries, thus even though there are about 200 different brands on the market, most are built in the same factories and just have different labels stuck onto them.

A battery isn't really a performance part, and although some will disagree I would just buy a compatible unit from an autoparts store and saveanywhere from 50-70% of the dealer price. 5 minutes to install and you are golden....and most auto parts stores will even do the install for free (just be sure you have your radio code handy).

 

I just replaced my 2001 A6 battery @ 70,000k for around $120 installed at NTB. They did a nice job - including plugging in a temporaty battery into the cig lighter to maintain the radio presets, etc. while the battery was switched out.

 

I guess I am an idiot and I am not ashamed to admit it. I purchased this car used from the dealer and it was still under the factory warranty. Now it is under the pre-owned warranty to 100,000. I think this is the original battery but can never really tell that, huh. I have about 51,000 miles on it. I just get really nervous about having "non-dealer" work done to the car especially since I am not mechanically inclined at all. Even though I paid it, I know I am getting screwed by these guys for sure!!! I am always afraid that if someone else works on the car and then when I do need the dealership for something, they will cook up a story that the "other" guys messed things up and now it will cost you!

 

Stu,
Believe it or not, that's the average price for an A6 battery replacement. If you are feeling brave, you can replace it yourself for about $160.00 usd ( see Remy batteries website ), but, for the extra $90 bucks you get (as quoted earlier) the piece of mind that you didn't have to re-teach everything from your doorlocks to your power windows how to operate again due to a power surge or failure ( you can use a battery jump pack as a slave to prevent this, but s**t happens! ). Trust this, pay the extra 90 smackers and have Audi do it!
Regards,
Maddog
2005 Audi A6 3.2L quattro

 

VERY easy DIY to replace the battery. Just need a couple of basic tools, and about 15 minutes. Keep in mind you MUSt have your radio security code, in case your radio goes into SAFE mode.

Here is a post I did with pics on how to replace the battery:
http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/728243.phtml

 

I replaced my battery for $90 bucks after the core charge return. I found a local auto parts store that sold foreign batteries. Wasn't that hard to change, more akward where the battery is located, getting the old one out, thats one heavy battery for its size. Had my radio code to reprogram, the only thing is I didn't have to do any of that. When I took the old one out I didn't have any back up power, I just switch them out like a normal battery in any kind of car. I did have a Bentley manual to follow, it said something about when the new battery is installed turn the ignition on for so many seconds and then turn off, then start the car. I did what the book said and everything worked normal. No reprogramming at all. I have always heard you have to reprogram radio and windows and locks, why I didn't have to I don't know. Good luck to you

 

A 16 month old post regarding a battery gets resurrected?

 

LOL! I hope he replaced it a long time ago.